click here to learn more about being redeemed from sin and set free to serve God in spirit and in truth. click here to learn more about holiness click here to learn more about being changed into the same image click here to learn more about sowing and reaping click here to learn more about the free gift of righteousness. click here to learn more about how faith gives us access to grace and grace does the works. click here to learn more about faith and how it comes. click here to learn more about acknowledging Jesus click here to learn more about how God speaks Who will you listen to?  Click here to learn more. click here to learn more about the pattern of God. click here to learn more about the pattern of God for individuals, marriage, and family. click here to learn more about the pattern of God for the local church click here to learn more about the Church universal
     Home   Arrow Meaning   Arrow The Pattern   Arrow The Church Universal   Arrow Apostles: Traveling Elders & Deacons   Arrow Did God restore?
There are 26 sub-topics of "Christ the Body: Entire Church":
Biblical Apostles Did God restore? Discerning apostles Apostles NOT infallible: Equip With Doctrine & Revelation Equip With Government Equip With Spiritual Gifts Church's Foundation Apostles build the church Apostles Link To God Apostles Are Servants Apostles Are Traveling Ministries Traveling Deacons 5-fold ministry 5-Fold Ministry Misnomer True 5-fold Ministry is Unpopular Who sets ministries Apostles Receive Their Living Not Just 12 Apostles Counterfeited Ministries/Offices False Apostles & Prophets? No Chief Apostle The Pope -- Not Scriptural Apostolic Age? Apostles in the Present Q&A: NT&OT offices

Did God restore the 5-fold ministry? Are there apostles today?


Wisdom, Righteousness, Holiness, and Redemption

How can we know anything about anything


To try to explain truth to him who loves it not is but to give him more plentiful material for misinterpretation. George Macdonald

Do we have to make a choice between science and the Bible?

NO!

That is NOT where the problem is, but that is what everyone seems to want to talk about.

Take science as an example. How can we know anything about the created material world around us?

How can we know anything from what we can see using natural sciences?

We all see the same things in the material world, but we don't come to the same answers.

Why is that?

How can we know anything about the Bible and what it teaches? Every person believes different things about the Bible and how it should be read.

Why is that?

Same scientific facts. Different answers.

Same Bible. Different answers.

Why is that?

The true question is this: How do we come to our answers that we get from what we can see through science or what we can read in the Bible?

How do we think about what we see using science or what we read in the Bible?

How do we analyze what we have seen and read?

How do we interpret what we have seen and read?

We use logic, but logic always has a foundation. Jesus talked about building on the Rock. That Rock is Jesus Christ. He is the true foundation. There are also the false foundations of the ungodly.

An example might help.

Question: Why do believe in evolution?

Answer: Because my science teacher told me that evolution is scientific fact.

Question: Why do you believe your science teacher?

Answer: because he agrees with the textbook he assigned us to read.

Now, we have asked, "Why?" twice.

If we continued to ask, "Why?" we would come down to the foundation of this person's thoughts.

When we get down to the foundations, there are no more questions that can be answered. So where to the foundations come from?

There are three possibilities.

  1. things that we make up, pulled from the air
  2. demonic lies
  3. divine revelation

Question: Why do believe in creation?

Answer: Because God revealed this to me. He spoke to me through the Bible and gave me His faith so that I could believe Him.

See how quickly we got to the foundation. This is a belief that has a foundation that is solid and that cannot be moved.

In reality, the things that we make up, that are pulled from the air, are actually from demons and all the lies of demons spring from the prince of demons, Satan. So these are one and the same.

Divine revelation comes from the Almighty, Creator, God, Jesus Christ. So there are only two choices, but how do we know there are only two choices? Because God has revealed this truth to us.

The question then is how do we tell the difference between the revelation that comes from God and the lies of Satan?

The answer is that everyone who sincerely wants to do the will of God will know.

Jesus said, "If you really want to obey God, you will know if what I teach comes from God or from me"

The rejection of the revelation that comes from God is not an intellectual problem. It is a moral problem.

Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened. *

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to those who ask him? Matthew 7:7-11 *

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You can set the truth before someone, but you can't make anyone believe those things that they don't want to submit to. They have to want to obey God.

How frequently it is brought to our attention that nothing good can be done if the will is wrong! Reason alone fails to justify itself. Richard M. Weaver

Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32)

"If we are not prepared to buy the truth at the cost of our own humbling we shall not receive it"

Lies appear to have no price upon them. They seem cheap and they abound everywhere. But for the truth there is always an obvious price to pay.

[God] has set a day when He will judge all the world's people with fairness. And He has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for Him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death" (Acts 17:31).

"There is a judge for the one who rejects Me [Jesus] and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day" (John 12:48)

That also stands for every person who speaks the utterances of Jesus. When we hear them, we hear Jesus Christ, and we either accept or reject. Every person who follows Jesus Christ is commanded to only speak His utterances and not their own.

"When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God" (1 John 3:19)

Ravi Zacharias did two open forums in a university. On the second night, one man told him that he had brought two Atheists in the night before who said that the arguments presented were so strong that they could not contend with them, but they were going to remain Atheists because that is what they prefer to be true.

In listening to an unbeliever and drawing out his reasoning, the unbeliever finally came to his foundations.

They turned out to be assumptions that were pulled from the air. When asked why he believed his basic assumption, the unbeliever looked startled and blurted out, “I guess I’m making the whole thing up.” It was quite a revelation to him since he hadn't even known that he had any assumptions. However, he decided to remain an Atheist because he didn’t want God to rule over him.

Yes, God restored apostles to the church.  They are needed to complete the reason that the church is on the Earth.  God restored the 5-fold ministry in the great move of the Spirit that began in 1948 in Canada.  Counterfeits keep springing up all over the place, though, so be careful.  That move that started is still flowing in the Holy Anointing of God and in unfolding revelation.  Truth that was hidden in Scripture for a long time are still being revealed to the apostles God has set to equip the believers.  

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Until we come to

 

Unity  

 

the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ  

The 5 apostolic ministries (Ephesians 4:11) The nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) Local congregations overseen by elders and deacons (Titus 1:5) Every member having and being a ministry in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:11) Being led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14) The gathering together of the Body of Christ (Genesis 49:10, John 17:21)

Can these be counterfeited? Yes, and so can salvation be counterfeited.

God's Way is not a smorgasbord from which the Christian may pick and choose.   

There are many who have been made hungry by the message of a Living, Powerful God. 

Here are some Bible verses to get you started.  There are many more, of course.  Search the Scripture.  Seek the Truth.  Pray that God reveal it to you.

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.  
 
Ephesians 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;  
3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  
4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;  
5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,  
6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  
7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.  
8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Only Christ can do any edifying.  In understanding Ephesians 4:12-16, you must go back to the main verb, edoken, in verse 11.  Christ gave the gifts.  He gave the office of apostle.  He gave the four ministries.  Those gifts are not the persons but the Christ in those persons, as another passage says, "Christ in us, the hope of glory."  The text cannot be read any other way than to understand that these gifts are performing all of this work as the gifts proceed from Christ.  Grace means, literally, free gift.  This is grace, and we know from Scripture that it is grace that does any work that is done.  In fact, God could give no greater gift, so He gave us of Himself.  He chooses to do it through apostles, ones sent.  He chooses to not use those who send themselves or who are sent by men.  It is plain from the Greek that it is not gifted people who do any of this work, but rather the Gift Himself does the work through the members.  This is true whether it is the apostle who is totally equipping and completing the member or the member who is now also moving in the power and authority of the same gift.  When any member comes into submission to the apostle, that person carries the same anointing and authority of the apostle just as long and to the extent that they are in submission.  They are not submitting to a man but to Christ Himself.  If you can discern the Body of Christ, you will see this.  If you see this, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but your Father in Heaven has revealed it.

You can go many places on the internet, on Christian radio, or in the religious world where you will find people twisting this Scripture.  They will twist "apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" into "teacher/pastors", or "pastor/teacher", or "evangelists, pastors, teachers", or some other misquote.  It is evil to twist the traveling elders and deacons, the apostles, into locally abiding pastors.  Nowhere in the Bible does it talk about locally abiding pastors.  There are locally abiding elders who pastor (care for the church as a shepherd does sheep) the members, and those men receive no money for what they do.  They receive a double measure of honor.  The Bible says what it says.  The Scripture cannot be broken.  Satan hates the Bible and he hates God's church and the orders of God's church.  If you see someone doing this, run, do not walk, away.

1Co 1:1  Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

1Co 1:10  But I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11  For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12  But I say this, that every one of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. 13  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1Co 2:1  And I, brothers, when I came to you, did not come with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. 2  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3  And I was with you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling. 4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5  so that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6  But, we speak wisdom among those who are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, that come to nothing. 7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory;

1Co 2:16  For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.   1 Corinthians 31 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.  


Back to top



Apostles


How Long Will There Be Apostles? (Go)
1 Corinthians 1:1-4:2 The Pattern Of Apostles (Go)
1 Corinthians 12:28-30, God Hath Set Some In The Church, First Apostles, Secondarily Prophets, (Go)
2 Corinthians 11:13-14, False Apostles (Go)
Acts 15:2-16:4, God's Order For Establishing Doctrine In The Universal Church (Go)
Acts 8:14-20, Apostles Being Led By The Holy Spirit (Go)
Aren't There False Apostles Out There? (Go)
Don't Be Fooled By The Many False Promises Of The Worldly Systems And All Their Empty Promises (Go)
Don't Some Theologians And Scholars Say That There Were Only 12 Apostles And That Is All There Will Ever Be? (Go)
False Kingdoms (Go)
Following people who were not sent by God (Go)
Galatians 2:2 Paul Went To The Other Apostles By Revelation To Make Sure He Was Not Off Track. He Was Not Independent. (Go)
God's method by which He intends to bring us all to fullness is through a body ministry operating in the Church He designed. (Go)
Was Peter the foundation of the church and the first pope? (Go)
Seek to Know God. (Go)
God's Order Works. (Go)
Isn't God's way like a smorgasbord where you can pick and choose what you want or don't want? No. (Go)
God Forbids Speculation. (Go)
Is there really any pattern in Scripture for the Church? Yes. Most people don't like it. (Go)
Holiness Brings Clearer Vision and Hearing (Go)
How Can I Know God's Will And Be Led By The Spirit Of God? (Go)
Was There Such a Thing as The Apostolic Age? (Go)
Jeremiah 23:16-22 False Prophets (Go)
Joel 2:25-32 The Restoration In The Remnant (Go)
Are the local churches to teach no other doctrine than the Apostle's Doctrine? (Go)
Matthew 11:25 God Has Hid These Things From The Wise And Prudent, And Hast Revealed Them Unto Babes. (Go)
Press Toward The Mark Of Your High Calling In Christ Jesus (Go)
The Bible -- Satan Knows that He Can Keep You in Frustration if You are Not Faithfully being Fed by the Bible. (Go)
Questions and Answers: What is the Church; How should it be governed? (Go)
Questions and Answers: What is the role of the deacons in this situation? (Go)
Receiving Revelation (Go)
Romans 8:28-29 God's purpose for our lives is that we become like Jesus. (Go)
What is the 5-fold ministry and why is it important? (Go)
Aren't apostles something from the past? (Go)
Seek The Lord For Revelation As You Read The Scripture (Go)
Taking Ground, Holding Ground, Total Victory (Go)
The Problem Of Churches That Are Not Fulfilling Their Purpose. (Go)
What does the Bible say about the government of the church? (Go)
Why is the 5-fold ministry of the Scripture so unpopular? (Go)
Aren’t there false apostles and false prophets? (Go)
The Move of the Spirit of 1948 From the Papers and Memories of Milford E. Kirkpatrick (Go)
If the Bible's so great, why don't the churches of today look like the church of the New Testament? (Go)
How can the church come to the full glory God has planned for her? (Go)
There will be a coming together of the Body of Christ in unity? (Go)
Universal Elders Traveling Ministries (Go)
Walking In Submission Will Cause You To Grow In Christ. (Go)
Can The Ministries And Offices Of The Church Be Counterfeited? (Go)
What do the Scriptures teach how God designed the Church? (Go)
What is the Real Church, and what is its purpose? (Go)
What is the Scriptural Order of Apostles (Go)
Your Purpose in Life (Go)
John 3:16 What does it really mean? (Go)
Apostles and the 5-fold Ministries In the Bible (Go)
Questions and Answers: Please help me to connect the old testament ministers to the new testament fivefold offices clearly stating the similarities of these offices. (Go)
Bible Dictionary: Define Apostle, Definition of Apostle (Go)
The Duration of the Apostles--How Long Will Apostles Be In the Church? (Go)
What Does the Bible Say About False Apostles, False Prophets, False Teachers, and False Pastors? (Go)
Apostles are NOT Infallible. There are NO Infallible Human Beings. (Go)
Apostles Equip the Church with the Foundation (Go)
Apostles Equip the Church with Doctrine and Revelation (Go)
Apostles Equip the Church with Government (Go)
Apostles Equip the Members of the Churches with Spiritual Gifts (Go)
Twenty Apostles are Named in the New Testament of the Bible (Go)
Apostles Had the Ministries of Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher (Go)
Who Sets an Apostle? How Do Apostles Become Apostles? (Go)


Author/Compiler
Last updated: Oct, 2011

        
more info: mouseover or click
The complexity of Gods Way understood in a single diagram


There is so much more for you. This is what you have been missing. Don't let anyone deceptively keep you from fulfilling your destiny and God's purpose for your life.

Prayer, Bible, Unity

God has established the pattern of Scripture, for life and for the Church.

You can feel free to use the Contact Form further down on this page to ask any question regarding this pattern of Scripture. The Church, the Body of Christ, and discernment of this Body, is the method that God is using to finish the work in His Body. The Body of Christ, God's Temple, is built up by that which every joint supplies, building each other up in love, and the Temple must be built according to the pattern of Scripture.



Prayer, Bible, Unity

We believe the Holy Scriptures teach:
  • The 5 apostolic ministries (Ephesians 4:11)
  • The nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
  • Local congregations overseen by elders and deacons (Titus 1:5)
  • Every member having and being a ministry in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:11)
  • Being led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14)
  • The gathering together of the Body of Christ (Genesis 49:10, John 17:21)
End

If you seek God, you will find Him through His Son, Jesus.

Contact Form

You can feel free to use this Contact Form to ask any question regarding this pattern of Scripture. The Church, the Body of Christ, and discernment of this Body, is the method that God is using to finish the work in His Body. The Body of Christ, God's Temple, is built up by that which every joint supplies, building each other up in love, and the Temple must be built according to the pattern of Scripture. If you would like to ask any other question on any subject or submit a correction or suggestion you may use this form.
If you would like an answer, please remember to include your email address.


Please help us fight spam by answering this question in the box below. Is ice hot or cold?



Please remember to include your email address if you want an answer.
Revelation 22:19 And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.

John 10:35b the Scripture cannot be broken,


Put a Link To This Page on Your Site.
HTML Code:


Links:
SeekFind.net ~ Did God restore the 5-fold ministry? Are there apostles today?
Did God restore the 5-fold ministry? Are there apostles today?


Human theology and reasoning is not necessarily correct, but the Bible is without error. The Bible can only be understood by revelation, and revelation is given by the Spirit of God. God does reveal in His own way. But we only know in part. If we think we know any thing, we do not know it as we ought. We are instructed, by God, to keep seeking Him. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. The truth sets us free. Lies bind us. Whoever seeks Jesus does find Him. Jesus is the truth.
Prayer, Bible, Unity
THE CONCLUSION

If you would like to know more about God's plan for you, then click here.

| Links | | Add Site URL |
| About SeekFind.net | | Site Map | | FSBO | | Depth Bible |

Gods Way understood